Gephardt politics for Dems. in N.H.
By Katie Lieberg | May 7, 2002Democratic leader and House Minority Whip Richard Gephardt spoke yesterday to a small crowd of campus Democrats and others as part of a visit in support of his party's candidates for Congress, but avoided revealing whether he plans his own New Hampshire campaign for the presidency in 2004. Chuckling with down-to-earth Midwestern charm at being frequently mistaken for a CNN weatherman, a professional golfer or even Dan Quayle, Gephardt cheerfully opened a discussion that would turn to the more serious issues of health care, campaign finance reform and peace in the Middle East. But Gephardt skirted the big question of the afternoon, whether he would pursue the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, with an assurance that he would focus on having his party win a majority in the House in the upcoming elections "and then see what happens next." Gephardt became interested in grassroots politics at an early age.